I had along phone conversation with a good friend and business colleague yesterday. His business is struggling and he’s mentally in a pretty bad place. The interesting thing to me was that he and I had the exact same conversation 2 months ago and 8 months ago. And with each conversation his resolve has dwindled just a little bit more.

Here is some of the language he uses:

“It’s not just me, it’s everyone here.”

“The customers are different, they are a lot tougher now.”

“I can’t find good employees, they just don’t want to work. They don’t get it.”

And so the conversation goes…

As I listened to him go on and on I couldn’t help but ask – are you having any fun? His response was, “not really”. It scares me to hear a business owner say this because the truth is, a business will never get any better than what the leader believes it can be. It’s no wonder he can’t find good people and his customers are more challenging than ever – he doesn’t believe in either of them. And he doesn’t believe in the business anymore.

As we continued to talk he acknowledged that he was carrying around a very negative attitude and negative thoughts. And as we know, thoughts become things. He is manifesting a repeated cycle of frustration and failure.

In a bout of tough love he agreed to this simple assignment – simple but life changing.

1. Each morning when he wakes he will repeat out loud – “this is going to be a great day!”

2. At the end of each day he will take a victory lap – recalling the positive things that happened that day and the things that he and the business accomplished.

These two simple practices will create an energy and a shift that allows more and more positive events into your life. When you acknowledge and have gratitude for the gifts in your life you create a vacuum that sucks in more goodness and more great opportunities.

My friend and I will be talking again in two weeks and I expect to hear a new conversation from him. If he’s doing his homework, the change is inevitable.

What are the conversations that you’re having? Are they positive and centered around what’s working, what’s good and what can be? Or are they centered around the negative? Sometimes it’s easier to see the negative because it tends to jump up and slap you in the face. We have to make a conscious decision to look for the positive. But once you make it a daily practice it becomes easier and as the positive begins to shine through it will eventually over take the negative.

Start now by taking time to recognize the good things that have occurred in your life today.

One Response to Your Thoughts Become Reality

Loving the quote. The first time I’ve ever heard it. And loving the blog. Writing seems to come so naturally to you. I enjoy your blog so much and I’m so happy to see you posting more frequently. Miss you my friend, but glad I get to feel that constant postive energy through your posts.